Best Value
Best Value aims to secure continuous improvement in the performance of public service organisations. The Best Value Framework gives guidance on how to achieve excellence in service delivery. Based on sound business practices, it sets a common standard for balancing the quality and cost of public service delivery and performance.
Best Value principles underpin the operation of public service organisations and is a key component of the public service reform agenda in Scotland. It is a central, enduring foundation for cotinuous improvement across the public sector. It is integrated with key programmes such as Community Planning and Efficient Government.
Efficient Government
The primary objective of Efficient Government is to release resources through efficiency improvements for investing in frontline public services. By having the right staff with the right skills in the right numbers working in the right way, efficiency improvements can be made.
Continually seeking more efficient ways of working should be a key strand of work for all public sector organisations. The Efficiency & Reform Fund is a challenge fund to stimulate a sustainably more efficient public sector and to demonstrate the reallocation of resources to better front line use.
Community Planning
The Scottish Executive is committed to supporting Community Planning and sees it as an important way to delivery better services for our communities. Community Planning has a very significant important role to play in reforming public services, through improving user focus and providing a mechanism for joint working and integrated service delivery.
Initiatives
Work is underway in health services and the NHS - particularly through the Centre for Change and Innovation. Work to join up health and social work is also ongoing - information from the Joint Improvement team.
The Executive and COSLA jointly set up the Improvement Service to help drive forward service excellence in local authorities.